Summary
Platelet-associated and serum anti-glycoprotein (GP) IIb-IIIa autoantibodies were
investigated in 57 patients with chronic immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP). In
modified antigen capture ELISA (MACE) using GPIIb-IIIa-specific-, GPIIb-specific-,
and GPIIIa-speci-fic-monoclonal antibody (mAb) for antigen capture, platelet-associated
anti-GPIIb-IIIa antibodies were detected in 14 out of 37 patients (38%), and these
antibodies could be detected with all 3 mAbs used for antigen capture. In the MACE
using EDTA-treated platelets at 37° C, the reactivity of platelet-associated anti-GPIIb-IIIa
antibodies in 9 out of 10 patients was markedly reduced in both cases of GPIIb-specific-
and GPIIIa-specific-mAb used. Immunoprecipitation experiments further confirmed that
the EDTA-treatment abrogated the antigenicity of GPIIb-IIIa for platelet-associated
antibodies in 2 patients. Serum anti-GPIIb-IIIa autoantibodies were detected in 23
out of 57 patients (40%). However, only 7 out of 23 serum anti-GPIIb-IIIa antibodies
could be detected with all 3 mAbs. The MACE using EDTA-treated platelets further showed
that the features of serum anti-GPIIb-IIIa antibodies were different from those of
platelet-associated antibodies even in the same patient. Our data demonstrate that
the platelet-associated anti-GPIIb-IIIa antibodies mainly recognize the cation-dependent
antigenic determinants on GPIIb-IIIa and that serum anti-GPIIb-IIIa antibodies may
contain some components which differ in specificity from platelet-associated antibodies.